Alex McLeish is delighted to see Hibs and Aberdeen challenging Celtic at the top of the table

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ALEX McLEISH last night insisted Aberdeen and Hibs can win the SPL – but only if they can dump Celtic at Parkhead.

Big Eck guided Hibs to a Scottish Cup final as boss in 2001 as well as splitting the Old Firm in the SPL as Motherwell gaffer in the 1994-95 season.

He also scooped 12 major honours with the Dons and that’s why he’s been encouraged to see his former clubs sandwiched between Neil Lennon’s second-placed Celts at the top of the SPL table.

McLeish believes both clubs deserve enormous credit and praise for making the flag race exciting, especially with critics insisting the league would be sewn up already.

But he insists both sides must go one better and prove they are capable of sustaining their title challenge by defeating the Hoops in Glasgow.

Eck was part of the Dons class of the 1980s under Sir Alex Ferguson, a formidable Reds side that regularly inflicted beatings on the Old Firm home and away.

The 53-year-old reckons if the current crop can pick up three points at Parkhead it will give them the belief and drive needed to go all the way and challenge for the title come May.

Eck said: “It is great to see two of my former clubs challenging Celtic at the top of the SPL.

“I don’t know the depths of the Hibs and Aberdeen squads but they’re certainly two teams who are playing with confidence.

“If they can bottle that up and hold on to it for the whole season then I’m sure Hibs and Aberdeen would stay up there.

“The SPL is an exciting league at the moment and people were thinking Celtic would be 10 points clear by now. It’s good for the SPL that teams are being competitive against them.

“Celtic have had marvellous exploits and results in Europe and everybody expected a walkover against St Johnstone on Sunday at Celtic Park which didn’t happen.

“Whether Hibs or Aberdeen have the strength in depth to stay up there then time will tell. The biggest test for both sides will obviously come when they face Celtic in Glasgow.

“That was the massive hurdle that we had to overcome as young players at Aberdeen under Sir Alex Ferguson.

“He drummed it into us that in order to be a successful team we had to come down to Glasgow and win against Celtic and Rangers.

“Aberdeen did not just do that once in a while we regularly achieved victories against both members of the Old Firm.

“When we finally did that, our stature grew along with our confidence and we ended up wondering why a team like Aberdeen had developed a mental block about winning in Glasgow over Celtic and Rangers for over 20 years.”

In his first season as Well boss McLeish split the Old Firm when he sealed a second placed finish – coincidentally, Hibs took third spot that season with Celts back in fourth.

It is a feat that has only been managed once in the SPL since, when Hearts ended the season as runners-up to Celtic in 2006.

McLeish believes that many gifted sides have arrived in Glasgow with high hopes on the back of a decent run but came away from the Old Firm with their tails between their legs.

Eck reckons that the secret to maintaining and sustaining a realistic challenge lies in the quality of the squads.

McLeish said: “I used to take incredibly gifted Hibs teams to Celtic Park.

“Hibs were crammed full of talent with the likes of Russell Latapy, Franck Sauzee, and Stevie Lovell who were all top pros yet they somehow found it hard to beat Celtic and Rangers in their own backyard.

“The current Hibs and Aberdeen sides are still very much at the fledgling stage of their renaissance.

“If either side can go to Glasgow and beat Celtic then that will do wonders for their confidence and they will start to believe they can mount a genuine challenge.

“When I look at the SPL table I think it’s great to see Hibs at the top with Celtic second and Aberdeen third a point behind.”

McLeish was speaking at a Positive Coaching Scotland (PCS) “Success through Effort: Mastery Coaching” seminar. The programme is designed to help promote a positive environment for young people.